The Pride of the Prydes
|next = }} The opening to the public of Pryde Castle, an estate mired in death duties, ends when guide Audrey Diggle (Marcia Warren), is struck and killed by an arrow. She was an expert on the Pryde's family history, including an old curse that the first born would be mad. Father Brown is convinced that the motive lies in the Pryde family's past, when a page from the parish birth records goes missing. All the family members are known to use a longbow. Synopsis In 1488, Lord Udolf Pryde sentences Branwen to be burned at the stake for being a witch. The old hag then curses the Pryde family with madness to be instilled in every first-born son. In the present, Audrey Diggle recounts the story in a book documenting the history of the Pryde family ahead an upcoming public open day of the Pryde estate. The estate has fallen into financial worry, as the current lord St John Pryde is struggling to deal with the mounting financial worries; rebellious tenants led by their determined lawyer, Alan Archer, to buy their own land; and the upcoming marriage of his daughter Bunty to a rich marquis; as well as his mother, Lady Pryde. Back at the parish office, Audrey comes across something in the parish records that leaves her shocked. Shortly before the open day is due to begin, Audrey is mocked for the costume she is wearing, prompting her to tell the family that there is a secret truth about the family. However the arrival of Father Brown and Mrs McCarthy interrupts her revelation. During a tour of the grounds, Audrey recounts the story of Branwen being killed by her archer son to spare her a death by fire. Suddenly, Audrey is shot and killed by an arrow. Sullivan questions St John, Lady Pryde, Bunty, St John's nephew Jago, as well as Arthur Danby, the butler. All provide alibis, with St John in particular being present when Audrey was shot, however Jago questions whether his uncle was in fact the actual target and Audrey was the collateral damage. Later, Bunty runs into Alan and their long-secret love affair is revealed. Mrs McCarthy reveals to Father Brown that Audrey was looking at parish records from 1835-1855, upon investigation, they realise a page has been torn out of the record book. Meanwhile, Sullivan goes to question Alan, who expresses his campaign to try and help the Pryde's tenants to raise enough funds to buy their land. It is then revealed that Alan is proficient with a longbow as is his father, Arthur the butler, who also happens to be first cousins (though not by marriage) with St John Pryde. Alan was radicalised with left-wing and anti-elitist ideology at university. Lady Pryde provides Father Brown with a copy of Audrey's book on the Prydes, and she overhears Jago blackmailing Bunty over her secret affair with Alan. Father Brown examines Audrey's manuscript and realises she was researching St John's grandfather Ralph Pryde when she died, Mrs McCarthy advises him to go check at the official records office for the copies of the parish records. Meanwhile Jago is out swimming, and passes out, slipping under the water. His hipflask was laced with a fatal dose of barbiturates, but his resuscitation prompted him to vomit most of the drugs out. Alan is brought in for questioning regarding both Audrey's death and Jago's attempted murder. After a visit to the county records office and with assistance from Lady Felicia, Father Brown gathers the Prydes, Arthur, and Alan together to reveal the truth. Father Brown reveals that Lady Pryde's late first-born son, and Jago's father is not present in the Pryde family tomb, and that he wasn't killed in a car accident after all. Simon Pryde murdered his wife and committed suicide, a victim of the curse of the Prydes. Father Brown also reveals that Lady Pryde spiked Jago's hipflask, for it was Jago who killed Audrey. Jago promptly appears wielding a longbow, Father Brown reveals that Audrey had found out that Arthur's grandmother had secretly married St John's grandfather. Thereby making Arthur in fact the true heir to the Pryde estate, much to Alan's shock and horror. Jago became concerned about Audrey's investigation to protect his noble status, accidentally leaving whiskey on the desk when he tore the page out of the records book. After distracting them with a (real) dud grenade, Jago flees to the roof and Father Brown begs for him to seek forgiveness, but Jago jumps from the roof, in his final breaths he repents. In the aftermath, Arthur suggests to Sullivan that Jago poisoned himself to avoid suspicion, in order to protect Lady Pryde. Alan vents his frustration at becoming something he despises, his father berates him for his selfish actions. St John hands the estate over to Arthur. In St. Marys, Father Brown hears Lady Pryde's very lengthy confession. The wedding between Bunty and the marquis is called off, Mrs McCarthy comforts her and advises her to follow her heart, and not pride. Bunty walks off and slaps Alan, before the two kiss. The two eventually get married, the land is sold to the tenants and the house is bought by the National Trust, the Prydes still have their home.